Playing-ball.



No. 699,8!3. Patented May I3, |902.A

F. H. RICHARDS.

PLAYING BALL.

(Application led Feb. 7, 1902.)

irnb Srnrns "nrnNr OFFICE.

FRANCIS I-I. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE KEMPSI-IALL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PLAYING-BALL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 699,813, dated May 13, 1902.

Application filed February 7,1902. Serial N'or 93|001- (N0 modem To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LFRANcIs H. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Playing- Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to playing-balls, and particularly to those of the class described in a patent granted to Eleazer Kempshall March 1S, 1902, No. 695,866,`in which a hard shell is formed upon a'springy core, the shell being preferably made of celluloid, which is tough, smooth, moisturelproof, springy,and durable, and the core consisting, preferably, of guttapereha, which gives the ball the property of iiying a great distance when struck a hard blow by an implement. In said patent the shell is illustrated as made in sections and while hot and plastic is compressed upon the core, causing the segments to weld, the shell being hardened under pressure and holding the core under compression, so that the condition of the ball throughout is tense, thus augmenting its effectiveness. In iinishing the ball, according to said application, the material of the shell works into the bramble marks or pits in the dies before the latter completely close, so that during the final portion of the die-closing action the brambles of the shell are shifted, particularly at the equatorial portion of the ball, there being thus a tendency to draw and tear the shell. Furthermore, it is found difficult to properly close the dies which compress the shell upon the previously-formed core, owing to the tendency of the shell material to squeeze out between the approaching edges ofthe dies, thus forming a liash or fin and tending to interfere with the completion of the die action, especially if the die is made in more than two parts. Owing tothe last-mentioned difficulty, it is found in practice desirable to use two-part dies in order to reduce the flashing;

but owing to the brambles it becomes di`iii-4 cult to separaten. two-part die after the ball is formed, the brambles of the ball fitting snugly in the pits in the dies and tending to lock the latter.

The objects of my present improvements are to overcome these difficulties and also to avoidthe necessity of 'always making a shell in segments, since in some kinds of balls a seamless shell is preferable, being less liable to burst than a jointed shell.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a view, partly broken away, of one form of shell blank. Fig. 2 illustrates a stage in the production of a ball. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a later stage. Fig. et is a nished ball made in accordance with my present improvements and partly broken away, so as to exhibit its construction. Fig. 5 is a diagram ofv a three-part mold for a ball.

In the several lviews similar parts are designated byA similar characters of reference.

Preferablyl employ a previously-formed shell or hollowsphere A, made wholly or principallyof celluloid, although other material may be employed. This blank may be formed either of hemispherical or other segments suitably welded Aor joined or in one piece, preferably the latter. Although it is illustrated as round, still in this stage it need not be a true sphere.A I preferably form said shell blank,with an opening B communicating with the hollow C thereof.

I place the sphere A in a spherical cham'- ber D, formed in a mold consisting of opposing halves E and F, having registering dowels G and clamped together i by any suitable means. Each of said members E `andF may have one-half ofthe chamber D, ,which may either have the same diameter or be so1ne`- what` larger than the blank sphere A., The chamberis suitably figured, inthis instance having bramble-pits D. Into the opening B `in the latter Iinsert the mouth of a funnel H,which is shown as penetrating into the hollow4 C, although this is not important in all cases. By means of said funnel the interior C of the ball is placed in communication with a vessel or receptacle J, formed or provided in the apparatus above the chamber D, said receptacle preferably being round and having a closely-fitting plunger K.` The blank A may be formed without an opening B, and

a pointed injector may be forced into said blank. l

I place in the receptacle el a quantity of IOO :may be provided a vent N, communicating at P with the ball-vent M, so the air escaping from the ball may be conducted out of the apparatus. The fluid or plastic gutta-percha may therefore settle or be forced by the plunger K through the funnel H, so as to completely iill the interior of the ball A, where-V upon the vent N in the mold may be closed by a screw-plugQ, Fig. 3, the overflow of the materialinto or through said vent indicating to the workman that the hollow C has been filled. By means of suitable appliances the plunger K may be pressed still farther down, so as to force more of the filling material into the interior of the ball, causing the walls thereof to yield and expanding the shell until it completely lls the large spherical chamber D in the mold, as at Fig. 3. The air may escape from the chamber between the moldsection or through a vent T. Sufficient force may be applied to compress the hot and plastic celluloid shell between the gutta-percha and the walls of the chamber. The gatta-percha or other filling material is allowed to pass from a liquid into a dry or hard condition while the plunger is still pressed down, so thatfthe expanded condition of the shell A3 is made permanent, as indicated by R, Fig. 4, the core being closely joined to the shell. `The mold maythen be taken apart and the ball removed, the funnel Abeing withdrawn and the hole left thereby in the ball being filled with acelluloid or other plug S, Fig. 4.

It will be understood that during the operation of forcing the gutta-percha into the ball'the shell' A, which is renderedvplastic either by the heat of the gutta-percha or by the heat lof the dies, or both, is expanded in alldirections andcaused to conform to the surface of the chamber D and to fill the bramble-pits D or other marks therein. The

brambles orV other figures D2 are gradually formed upon Vthe periphery of the ball, and` since there is -no movement of the dies there is no tendency to tear any of the brambles from the shell, nor is the vmaterial of the shell itself likely to be torn or unduly thinned at any point. On the contrary, the pressure of the fluent mass is uniform in all directions throughout the interior of the shell, and since great pressure may be produced by said plu nger said shell may be thoroughly compacted, thereby conducing to its toughness, durability, and springy properties, which are of great value in golf-balls.

By reason of the fluent mass of gutta-percha being maintained at high pressure while theportion thereof within the shell, as Well as the shell itself,

cools or hardens the quality of the ball is improved. y

Preferably the gutta-percha in the receptacle J is kept hot, as well as under great pressure, during the hardening of all or the principal portion of the celluloid shell and also during the hardening of the major portion of the core, the latter cooling first at its exterior and then gradually hardening toward the center. By this means the core is not only solidified, but also put in a condition of permanent compression, in which condition it is held by the hardened celluloid shell. The process of hardening the ball from the exterior during the feeding of hot gutta-percha to the still fluent heart of the ball may be facilitated by cooling the diesv in any suitable way, as by causing cold water to ow through channels U, formed in the portions of the dies opposite the gutta-percha receptacle J, and the latter may at the same time be kept hot by the passage of steam through upper channels T.

Not onlyis a ball thus produced extremely compact or solid, but it will also be understood that the material of the ball from center to periphery is in an abnormal condition, the core being held under compression by the shell, thereby increasing the efficiency of the ball, largely because the compressed core effectually maintains the shell in a true spherical form and immediately and powerfully resists distortion thereof by a blow and by reaction aids in speeding the ball when struck by an implement. Thus an extremely active and powerful ball is produced. Moreover, the ball is not unduly sensitive to a light touch from an implement, which ren ders it even more desirable for the game of golf.

The shell blank above mentioned may be either jointed or seamless.

It is to be understood that my invention is not limited in all cases, however, to the use of a core consisting either wholly or partly of gutta-percha l nor to a core having a springy nature, since other cores may be employed within the scope of my invention to meet different requirements. One of the leading features in my present improvement consists in molding a solid or hard core within a hard wear-resisting shell, which is rendered plastic at the molding operation and caused to conform to the surfaces of the die vand causing both shell and core to harden, so that each retains its form, and especially where the core material is excessive, so that the shell is eX- panded, and particularly where both shell and core are permitted to harden gradually while the feeding in of core material is con# tinued.

It is noted that the celluloid shell is harder than the gutta-percha core which is injected thereinto and distends the same.

The material of the shell may be of any desired compound of celluloid or kindred inaterial or of any other suitable plastic mate IOO IIO

rial, and it is not necessary in Vall ways of practicing my invention that the shell consist wholly of plastic material.

Other modifications and variations may be resorted to within the scope of my invention.

The herein-described process is made the subject-matter of my pending application, Serial No. 93,312, filed February l0, 1902.

I am aware of the pending application led by Eleazer Kempshall November 23, 1901, Serial No. 83,356, and do not claim herein any feature described and claimed in said appli cation. I am also aware of the other pending application iiled by said Eleazer Kempshall Decemberl, 1901, Serial No. 86,347, and do not claim herein any feature described and claimed in the last-mentioned application.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. In a playing-ball, a spherical shell consisting at least partially of celluloid, said entire shell being distended by plastic material injected thereinto.

2. In a playing-ball, a shell formed at least partially of Celluloid, said entire shell being distended by a core of gutta-percha injected thereinto.

3. Inaplaying-ball, an embossed hard shell formed of plastic material and distended by a core of plastic material injected thereinto.

Ll. In a playing ball, an embossed shell formed of celluloid and distended by` a guttapercha core injected thereinto, and a plug lling thevinjection-hole inthe shell.

5. A playing-ball comprising a seamless or continuous embossed hard shell of plastic material distended by a core of plastic material injected thereinto.

6. In a playing-ball, a seamless or continuous shell of Celluloid distended by a mass of mobile material injected thereinto.

7. In ayplaying-ball, an embossed shell of plastic material distended by a core of `plastic material injected thereinto, said shell being' harder than said core.

8. In a playing-ball, a shell distended by a 45 core injected thereinto,'one of saidshell and core elements consisting of celluloid and the other consistingr of gutta-percha.

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS. Witnesses:

B. C. STIGKNEY, FRED. J. DOLE. 

